It’s entirely possible that what you know about the publishing industry is killing your chances of being published.

I’m not referring to perky and/or snarky agents* who tease you forward with a one-in-a-thousand opportunity they call “querying,” or clueless editors* who wouldn’t know brilliant literature if it bit them in the Franzen. I’m not talking about the endless hoops writers have to jump through whether chasing the graying hope of traditional publishing success or the shiny silver promise of self-published glory. I’m not talking about the dearth of bookstores or the preponderance of ebooks or the utter unpredictability of bestsellers.

I’m talking about the thing that lies beneath all these other things.

I’m talking about information.

It’s ancient news that technology and the Internet Age (social media in particular) have changed and are still changing the publishing game. Not long ago the industry was the privileged child of Monopoly and Aggravation. Now it’s the bastard son of Hungry, Hungry Hippos and Trivial Pursuit. Imperfect board game analogy aside, the biggest difference between then and now is what we know (or can know, provided we have great web-surfing skills).

Logic seems to tilt in a writer’s favor here: Information leads to knowledge. Knowledge leads to power. Ergo, writers who know lots of stuff are powerful.

Yes.

And no.

Yes. We know more. Lots more. We know who stirs the waters and who tries to still them. We know where to find writing advice that makes a difference. We know what it takes to self-publish a book. We know the kinds of bribes agents definitely can’t accept because that would be unethical but as long as you brought that bottle of wine to the conference, sure, I’ll take it.

We know a lot because most of what there is to know is available on the Internet. But knowledge alone isn’t enough. What knowledge really affords us is opportunity. Power comes from knowing how to take advantage of that opportunity.

And don’t forget that with opportunity comes responsibility. Try querying an agent without first studying her query guidelines and see what happens. (No. Don’t. I hate to see a writer cry.)

And no. When everyone has access to the same information, none of us is more powerful than the next. In many ways, it’s even harder to get noticed, now that everyone with a computer, an iPad, a smart phone, or a heartbeat thinks he can write a novel.

About that novel…

Did you forget about your novel? You’re not alone. Most writers I know struggle to stay focused on their story, and it’s not just external distractions (children, spouses, Kardashians) that have them wedged between the rock of industry knowledge and the hard place of writing.

The abundance of publishing information (and easy access to it) may well be the number one cause of writer’s block. When writers should be listening to the protagonist’s plea for conflict, instead they’re worrying about whether or not the book is marketable. Or they’re praying for the perfect agent. Or they’re suffering the metaphorical flop-sweat of query-fear.

But there’s an easy solution. Right? All you need is one of those writing programs that can go full-screen with the click of a button. Or a legal pad and a pen. And maybe a writing spot without Internet access.

No distractions.

Apart from all that you know (and don’t yet know) about the publishing industry. You know a lot, remember?

This isn’t going to get easier. The publishing industry is shedding more and more of its clothes every day. It’s all there for everyone to see. Not quite naked, but still NSFW. And once you’ve seen it, you can’t un-see it.

Except that to write well, that’s exactly what you must do.

The publishing industry needs to go away while you write.

Maybe you write in short bursts between games of solitaire. Maybe you prefer day-long marathons. Whatever your mechanics, you mustnot let the publishing industry intrude on the mystery of storytelling. While you write, the industry no longer exists. It’s just you and your characters and all the things they do.

When you’re not writing (I don’t mean in the pause between sentences), go crazy on the Internet. Read the agent blogs, the writer blogs, the industry blogs. Surf and search and study and worry all you want. Become powerful.

But when you’re writing? Let it go.

Your characters have no idea there is such a thing as a publishing industry. Don’t screw up their story by distracting them with it.

*I actually have lots of love for agents and editors. This was just me playing with a popular notion for the sake of an interesting sentence.

Post navigation

22 thoughts on “Go Away Publishing Industry. I’m Writing.”

As always, I love your posts. And as someone who landed a literary agent several months ago (and might very soon see her book traditionally published!), I really liked what you had to say, here. Thank you for keeping it real (and witty), SP!

One of the 25%! Or four, if you prefer. I really like that the comments come out in italics. Shame on me for that.

You’re always right, Stephen. Even when you’re wrong. Have you ever been wrong? Rarely.

I’m sorry. I’m avoiding my novel. Hiding from it actually. It would be shocked to know I’m here where you’re encouraging me to actually write on it. What it doesn’t know . . . leaves it powerless and me in control of . . . nothing. I can still hear it. Fingers in ears: la la la la la etc.

Great post. I must admit, whenever I worry about the publishing stuff … whether my book is marketable etc … it is a symptom of the writing going wrong. When it’s going right, I have no space in my mind for anything else but the story.

Yes, but what about after you’ve written the novel? And you start to expose yourself to the publishing industry and you look back at your ms and want to shred it to pieces because no one will love it the way you do. And then you try to divert your attention from this horrific process by starting another novel, but you hear the incessant background noise of “you’re no good at this.” It’s almost better to not be so well informed, because I never read about agents or editors messing up.
Thanks for the post. You’re a glimmer of sanity in all this madness.

I can assure you that agents and editors mess up. I’ve messed up plenty.

But there is wisdom in not being so well informed, at least until you no longer can ignore the siren’s call to be published. Then you kind of have to learn stuff. Just remember this truth: you’re probably better than you think you are unless you think you’re brilliant. In that case, you’re probably not as good as you think you are. Either way, you can always get better.

Thanks for the kind words. [Crosses “be a glimmer of sanity” off of bucket list.]

Great post, Will. I also find that I struggle to write when I’m worrying too much about sales or promotion. For some reason, the commercial aspects of writing seem to kill creativity (at least for me). I’ve had to go to writing by hand in notebooks (and often at a coffee shop) to shut off all the distractions. Social media is great and all, but it’s the worst thing ever if you’re easily distracted or prone to procrastination or worry (hmm… I suffer from all three!). Great reminder here to *focus* on the writing and let the rest go.

To me, publishing has always been the icing on the cake. The cake itself is the satisfaction of having written something I’m proud of.

The cake remains a mirage though, because every year I write, I hate what I wrote last year and the year before that. Maybe I’m growing as a writer? lol

That said, I do send out stuff for publication– had a few short stories published. I cringe at most of them now. So it is back to me and my writing, and working each day at making it better.

Now that I’m wrestling with my novel, not worrying about publishing has added appeal– if I get distracted, I get thrown out of the world of the novel and into the real one. Takes me days, if not weeks, to get back. So, for now, it is again me and my writing!

My Novelette

Click the image to purchase my incredibly affordable novelette, "Duck," a little story about a boy and his bomb. Sort of.

About

Okay, here's the deal. This is a blog about writing fiction. I'll be updating it with wisdom and nonsense whenever I feel like it, muse and caffeine permitting. In case you're wondering, no, I'm not a real doctor, though I sometimes watch reruns of the sitcom Scrubs. I do have more than 25 years of editorial experience, which I suspect is more relevant to my selection of "noveldoctor" as a nom de plume. But lest I come across as trying to sound smarter than I really am, I'll just tell you up front that I mostly chose "noveldoctor" because it sounds cool and is easy to remember and no one else had taken it yet. (And also because "fiction-editor-with-good-instincts-on-what-makes-a-novel-great" seemed excessive.) For more info about me, read the Stephen Who? page.

If you're interested in hiring me to help with your novel, check out the Editorial Services page. By the way, it pays to plan ahead if you're hoping to work with a specific editor. If I'm that specific editor, you might want to click the link. I update my availability on the page every few weeks.(This ends the advertising portion of the sidebar intro.)

I hope you will read and comment on my blogposts. I can't promise brilliance, but if my words inspire, challenge, entertain, or confound you even a little bit, isn't that enough?

Oh, and I write short stories sometimes. They can be rather angsty. And yeah, I just made up that word. You can pretty much add the letter "y" to any word and it works. Click here if you want to read some of these stories.